- Date
- November 12, 2020, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Salem, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3535APiper PA22
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20201112014849A
- Case key
- 102294
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to avoid an obstacle during his approach to land.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that while flying a visual approach to land, the airplane’s landing gear struck a pile of dirt at the end of the runway, which pitched the airplane forward causing it to impact the runway in a nose down attitude. The airplane’s forward fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3535A
- Reported as
- Piper PA22 (135)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-1807
- Built
- 1953
- Airframe hours
- 2,860
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290, 135 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 19, 2020
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- None · Private, runway 010, 2,450 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 77
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 12, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 1,211 total · 70 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 60 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 18, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.